A Truckload of Memories
A decrepit old relic to some, the 1935 Maple Leaf was an old friend to Ken
Sadly, Gerry became ill in 2011 and he sold his De Soto to a collector from his home province of Newfoundland & Labrador. The car was refurbished and became a showpiece there.
After Gerry passed away, Bob still went to car cruises, met with the guys and checked out old cars he hadn’t seen before, but eventually, without Gerry, it just wasn’t the same.
His own Oldsmobile still needed various parts here and there, but he had lost his drive to go searching for them. Bob sold his “Baby” to a fellow who came to look at it, bought it and then trailered it back to a small town outside of Bualo, NY. This man really enjoys the car and each year since has sent Bob a Christmas card telling him what new things he’s changed or added to it. Bob is happy knowing that the car he got so much joy from is now being enjoyed just as much by its new owner.
Aksel Skjonsby, my friend Ken ’s father, once bought a 1935 Maple Leaf two-ton dump truck from a man named Oliver Blaue in Kirkland Lake, Ont. The truck was bought brand new during the Great Depression, when there wasn’t a lot of money around for the family. Aksel had a hard time raising his three sons, but still bought the truck after Mr Blaue told him he could just “pay what you can” for it, since no one else had any money back then anyway. According to Ken, his dad spent a few winters cutting and selling firewood to people around Kirkland Lake to make small payments on this truck.
Aksel passed away when Ken was only 20 years old and he ended up owning the old thing. Ken, with his mother Rachel, lived on a farm in Burks Township, a half hour drive from Kirkland Lake, and he stored the truck there, in the barn. Ken eventually married and had children of his own. He loved his truck so much that it was all he ever talked about with people. “I would have a laugh when he would take someone that was visiting us up to the barn to see the truck. I am sure they were expecting more than what was there, but the truck was so precious to Ken,” said his wife, Mary.
Ken would brag and be so proud of the old, rusty truck that his dad once owned—there is no doubt that it brought him lots of joy and good memories. He always planned on restoring the old truck when he retired, but sustained a serious head injury when he was 59 years old. The old truck still sits up in his barn today, like an old friend. Ken and Mary’s eldest son, Tim, cranks the motor twice each year and takes care of it for his dad.